Pedal w/Largest Platform?

mseanschmidt said:

I'm looking for a NEW set of pedals and would like to find the one with the largest platform. It seems that all the major brands, SP, Look, Time, Shimano, give specs on stack height, clearance, etc. but none give actually platform dimensions.

From just eyeing them up it looks like the NEW Shimano 08' PD-7810 has the largest platform on the market?

Let me know what you think....

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mseanschmidt said:

Sorry if my post doesn't make sense.

I'm talking about road bike clip-in (w/cleats) pedals. Unfortunately, Speedplay (Zeros), Shimano PD7810, Look Keo, Campy, Time....... do not give there "real" platform dimensions .

I was just trying to find out which pedal/cleat combination offers the largest platform?

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Scot_Gore said:

To further enforce what BJII is saying, the platform you experience is further influenced by the stiffness and quality of the your shoe. I have a set of Lake touring shoes that are designed with the idea that you might get off and walk some and pair of Specz. carbon soled road shoes that are designed with the idea that you are on the bike...period. The platform I experience in each is very different despite it being the same bike (and pedal).

Scot

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danl1 said:

1) 'Platform size' as having any importance at all is yet another marketing myth. If you want to be generous, you could call it a historical artifact.

2) I don't know what sort of driving moccassins you are trying to ride in, but my platform is the size of my shoe's outsole. How it's connected to the pedal spindle matters not-at-all, with one exception (see #4 below.)

3) Speedplay's platform size is the size of the top of the lollipop. The rest of that big, heavy, poor-working crapsicle of a cleat does nothing to support downward force. Practically speaking it could slightly stiffen a terribly flexible sole, but a better solution would be to get a proper cycling shoe.

4) If anything matters about platform size, it's width, or better stated the ability of the cleat to resist side-to-side rocking. Odd as it might seem, good old fashioned Eggy's are among the best in that crowd, when used with an appropriate shoe/cleat combination. The Look, Shimano etc. triangular pattern are in the same class, depending on the details of the engagament mechanism. Speedplays are OK, but nothing spectacular. Dead worst are spd's, though this thread hopefully doesn't consider those.

5) A few years ago, Speedplay had a bunch of graphics and supporting area measurements on their website to show how their pedals had the 'best' platform size. They took them down after (a) carbon soled shoes made the point moot, and (b) a certain popular bike tech writer noted the facts of #3 above on a certain well-read cycling web site.

You asked for opinions. Sorry if they aren't the ones you wanted.

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